Trust Signals
Most leaders don’t lose because they lack a story. They lose because under pressure, belief stops deciding anything—so differentiation collapses into features, standards get negotiated, and trust gets expensive.
Trust Signals is a series on the credibility tax: what it costs when belief isn’t governing decisions.
Signals from the decisions that test belief.
I write about the real moments leaders are in: the meeting you can’t get to a decision, the exception you keep making, the standard you won’t enforce, the message that isn’t holding, the experience that doesn’t match the pitch.
This is where belief gets tested—where it either governs the decision or gets negotiated.
Latest Signals
The Hidden Ceiling: Why Your Growth Problem Is Really a Trust Problem
You can hit every target on the spreadsheet and still have a brand no one fully believes in. That’s the hidden ceiling: the point where people will comply with the plan, but won’t bet their reputation on it.
Your Brand Isn’t Your Story. It’s Your Shadow.
Most leaders think they have a storytelling problem. In reality, they have a shadow problem. This piece unpacks why your brand is defined by how you behave when the script goes silent—and how to start closing your Say-Do Gap™.
The Attention Signal: When Your Product Is Louder Than Your Belief
If people walk away saying “great product” but can’t name what you stand for, your Attention Signal is weak. When your entire story is built on features and launches, you make yourself easy to copy. This piece shows how to move your signal from product to belief.
Stuck or Safe? Why Standing Still Is Your Brand’s Biggest Threat.
Most brands don’t get disrupted by competitors—they’re quietly eroded by fear. Here’s why standing still is your biggest risk and how to move with conviction again.